Canine subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS) is an abnormal,

congenital A birth defect is an abnormal condition that is present at childbirth, birth, regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disability, disabilities that may be physical disability, physical, intellectual disability, intellectual, or dev ...

heart murmur Heart murmurs are unique heart sounds produced when blood flows across a heart valve or blood vessel. This occurs when turbulent blood flow creates a sound loud enough to hear with a stethoscope. The sound differs from normal heart sounds by th ...

caused by subaortic

stenosis Stenosis () is the abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure such as foramina and canals. It is also sometimes called a stricture (as in urethral stricture). ''Stricture'' as a term is usually used when narrowing ...

(SAS). This genetic trait is

polygenic A polygene is a member of a group of non- epistatic genes that interact additively to influence a phenotypic trait, thus contributing to multiple-gene inheritance (polygenic inheritance, multigenic inheritance, quantitative inheritance), a type ...

, and in some cases asymptomatic. An animal with SAS may offspring and show no symptoms of the stenosis until multiple generations which is why it is advised not to breed an animal diagnosed with SAS.

Symptoms

Puppies and adult dogs diagnosed with subaortic

can suffer from a range of clinical signs such as fainting, breathing difficulty in the moderate cases or heart failure and sudden death in severe cases. Symptoms also include sudden/strong lethargicism, continuous heavy panting, and a rise in temperature.

Diagnosis

The

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is a private, nonprofit organization based in Columbia, Missouri. The organization researches the prevention of orthopedic and hereditary diseases in companion animals. The OFA funds research (nearly $ ...

(OFA) has established a Congenital Heart Registry whose guidelines were established by veterinary cardiologists. A dog which auscultates normally at 12 months of age is considered to be free of

congenital heart disease A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly, congenital cardiovascular malformation, and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital he ...

. Upon confirmation of this, OFA will issue a certificate.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis Dog diseases